"Raj and Aamir are not friends."
Translation:राज और आमिर दोस्त नहीं हैं।
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Is हैं necessary here with नहीं? I thought you could omit "to be" if it was negated.
You can omit हैं in sentences with नहीं provided there is another verb in the sentence. हैं is the only verb here so it cannot be omitted.
हैं is the plural form of the है. Since the subject in this sentence ('Raj and Amir') is plural, it has to be conjugated with the plural form of the verb.
Basically, है is 'is' and हैं is 'are'.
is there a difference between pronouncing हैं vs है? Or is it only a change in writing?
With हैं, you have to make the vowel sound with your nose as well as your mouth. If you listen to the audio for this sentence, you can notice the nasalisation at the end.
ं (ँ when no vowel diacritic interfering like ै, and not denoting an न-first conjunct) nasalises the vowel. The degree to which speakers distinguish it may vary of course, not least because - as a non-native speaker/learner - I find it pretty difficult to nasalise vowels (especially without way over exaggerating it!).
दोस्तों is the oblique case form of the plural and is used only when it is the object of a postposition.
The regular plural is दोस्त, the same as the singular form.
Can you say '... के साथ दोस्त नहीं हैं'? (I thought it was needed, not accepted)
In Hindi, you 'make friendship' with someone - राज ने आमिर से दोस्ती कर ली or राज ने आमिर के साथ दोस्ती कर ली (Raj became friends with Aamir).
However, you are someone's friend (not 'friends with someone') - राज आमिर का दोस्त है (Raj is Aamir's friend).
So, के साथ -'with' doesn't fit in this sentence.
That's pretty interesting, what's the natural way of describing being mutual friends then? Maybe something like हम अपने दोस्त हैं?
Why is the word order "friends not" but in sentences with another verb, the "not" stays before the verb? Is that the rule? I was getting confused whether to transpose these words or not.
The नहीं should always be placed adjacent to a verb. The only verb in this sentence is हैं so the नहीं goes before it.